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Death of a Bore  By  cover art

Death of a Bore

By: M. C. Beaton
Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
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Publisher's summary

When John Heppel, a visiting writer to Lochdubh, first proposes forming a writers' circle, the idea is met with much enthusiasm from local residents. However, once the classes get underway, attendance quickly falters due to one undeniable fact: John Heppel is a long-winded, consummate bore. But is dullness a motive for murder? Hamish Macbeth wouldn't ordinarily think so. So when Heppel is found dead, Hamish begins looking for deeper meaning in the writer's stories, including a strange, unfinished soap-opera script that seems to suggest a more sinister motive behind its author's unhappy ending.
Great Scot! Don't miss more of Hamish Macbeth's cases.
©2005 Marion Chesney (P)2005 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"This fictional world - part cozy, part unsparing - can be highly addictive." (School Library Journal)

"Quirky but well-plotted....offers humor, intrigue, and local color galore." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Graeme Malcolm's cool, dry chameleon voice moves from one well-thought-out choice for a character to the next, giving not just their many different lilts but also their personalities, with the deftest of touches." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Death of a Bore

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Lochdubh rides again

This is a really great series, you can become a member of the community. The tall, lanky copper is like an orange lollipop, but there is much more to him. I had read this before, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember who did it, even as things unfolded! The victim is the sort you'd like to eliminate yourself, but the killer is worse, so you don't feel ambivalent about Hamish taking him/her down. This makes it a cozy

The narrator is excellent, he sounds English, but does well with dialects and accents without making in unintelligible to Americans and Canadians.

There was a short lived TV series with Robert Carlyle, who is quite short. I wish they'd do it again, but with David Tennant. He would also be another good narrator. IMHO

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • MJ
  • 03-19-13

Appropriate Title For A Rather Boring Book

Just finished this one. It isn't the best book in the series. I have not listened to all of the books in the Hamish MacBeth series, but of the ones I have finished, this is probably my least favorite. It just seemed to drag on and on and I couldn't wait for it to end. I didn't really care who did it. The title is rather appropriate since I found this whole book to be a bit of a bore.

Mr. Malcolm is, IMHO, not the best choice of narrator for these books. He reads very quickly; often running sentences together (including dialog), completely ignoring punctuation and using little inflection. I hate this. He sounds like an older man so, of course, all of the characters sound like old men. Even the female characters. I don't like to be critical, but a narrator can make or break an audiobook. Unfortunately he reads numbers 19 and 21 through 28 of the series. So if I want to listen to them on audiobook I'll just have to deal with it. Ugh!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

terrific

This is a delightful book with interesting, quirky characters. The narrator is terrific. What a great way to ease the pain of Houston traffic. I can't wait to read more in the series.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The usual fare:-)

All these Hamish McBeth "mysteries" are the same. LIght and comic even while he solves a murder and juggles ex-girlfriends. It's pleasant enough to pass the time and un-objectionable.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun twisty plot

This is a great book to listen to. You get attached to the main characters and feel like you are living in that little town. The plot was not to complicated. This is one of those perfect books to lsiten to during your commute. I would get another book by this author

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Easy listening

The predictability and recurrent themes in each of the Hamish Macbeth books is repetitive yet comforting. Whilst it isn't any literary genius, it is easy to read, pleasant & good escapism.
I preferred other narrators to this one. He was not unpleasant but a bit dull.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another fun mystery

What does Graeme Malcolm bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Graeme Malcolm is one of my favorite readers.

Any additional comments?

Hamish Macbeth mysteries are consistently entertaining and the characters are familiar after listening to so many. Graeme Malcolm is the best reader for this series, his voices and accents bringing Lochdubh to life.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well written

Graeme Malcolm's narration has improved because he is beginning to utilize the Scottish burr with his characters, Unfortunately, he seems to draw back on the accent when speaking for Hamish. He does have an excellent voice. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and all the wonderful characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Death of a Bore

The narrator once again does a fine job of bringing Hämisch Macbeth alive for the reader. Another M C Beaton murder mystery with a fine helping of romance and humor.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great

An ego gets in the way of this latest murder mystery. The town has tons of potential writers but their dreams are dashed.

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